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Slayer's Jeff Hanneman Died of Alcohol-Related Liver Problems, Say Bandmates
Musician Jeff Hanneman of Slayer performs onstage during The Big 4 held at the Empire Polo Club on April 23, 2011 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Rumors Slayer's Jeff Hanneman died last week as a result of a spider bite turned out to be just rumors after all, as his bandmates announced Thursday the rocker's death has been attributed to "alcohol related cirrhosis."
The band posted a set of memories on Facebook, and included a note on the cause of death:
While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent Necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life. Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a transplant list at the time of his passing, or at any time prior to that. In fact, by all accounts, it appeared that he had been improving - he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record.
Shortly after Hanneman's death, The Daily Beast hypothesized that it was liver failure due to alcoholism that was more likely the culprit that ended the musician's life at age 49, noting that the existing liver condition made Hanneman more susceptible to the necrotizing fasciitis, and not the other way around.
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TMZ notes that Hanneman was still recuperating from treatment for the "flesh-eating bacteria" he believed he had contracted from "a spider bite he suffered in a friend's hot tub," and that the guitarist had undergone "several operations last year to remove dead tissue from his arm."
The band also said plans are in motion for a public "celebration of Jeff Hanneman's life sometime later this month," and that details would be forthcoming.
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